


The Good Cocoa

by whumpsie_daisy



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick has insomnia, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Tim Drake is a Good Brother, Tim just wants to go to bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:49:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29247567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whumpsie_daisy/pseuds/whumpsie_daisy
Summary: Dick had been staring at the screen for five minutes when Tim finally intervened. After he’d got back from patrol, Tim had planned on crashing into bed straight away, but had heard the clatter of computer keys and went to investigate. He’d found Dick at the Batcomputer, working away on something or another.When Tim comes back from patrol, he finds Dick still up. Never mind that he's supposed to be on bedrest and asleep. It would appear it's more than just nightmares keeping Dick awake these days. Thankfully, Tim has a plan.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 61
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	The Good Cocoa

Dick had been staring at the screen for five minutes when Tim finally intervened. After he’d got back from patrol, Tim had planned on crashing into bed straight away, but had heard the clatter of computer keys and went to investigate. He’d found Dick at the Batcomputer, working away on something or another. 

A quick glance at the screen didn’t really give much away. 

Then Dick’s fingers had stilled over the keys. It was like the gears had slowed to a halt inside him. He just sat there, staring at the screen. For a moment, Tim considered leaving him there while he got changed. He doubted that Dick would be moving anywhere soon. In the end, his conscience got the better of him: he couldn’t leave his big brother like that. 

After all, Dick was supposed to be on bedrest after a particularly nasty fight with Two Face had left him with one too many broken ribs. Tim sighed and began peeling the domino mask off his face. If he wasn’t getting out of costume any time soon, he was at least going to rid himself of the tight pinch around his eyes. “Dick?” he asked, approaching the computer.

It was as if he hadn’t spoken at all; Dick continued to stare into the middle distance. Fighting the urge to sigh again, Tim moved closer, trying to telegraph his movements as much as possible. “Dick?” he tried again, tapping the top of the chair with his knuckle. 

Dick nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled around, throwing himself back in the chair and nearly toppling the whole thing over. Tim jumped in response, he had expected some sort of reaction, but nothing this big. He couldn’t help the smirk that slipped over his face. “Sorry,” he chuckled. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Sorry! I was just working on ─ um… yeah, sorry. Hey Timmy, what’s up?” Dick rambled as he ran a hand through his already ruffled hair. He blinked twice and flashed an approximation of his usual blinding smile. 

Already Tim could see the dark circles smudged beneath his red-rimmed eyes and the uncomfortable slouch of his shoulders. He tried not to roll his eyes at the question. Of course Dick would check on his well being. Tim shook his head. “Nothing, I’ve just got back from patrol. What are you still doing up? I thought you would have gone to bed hours ago, make the most of having your nights to yourself for once.” He tried to keep his voice light, non-accusatory, but the wince from Dick probably meant he’d failed. 

“Yeah, probably should have,” Dick chuckled wryly. “I did try, in fact! I was headed to bed just after you went on patrol. How did it go, by the way?”

Tim did roll his eyes this time. It was such an obvious deflection, but Tim also knew that he wouldn’t be able to settle until he knew that Tim was alright. “It was fine, quiet even. Checked in with Jason over his side.” He could already see the frown forming on Dick’s face. “It was fine, Jason says things are all under control over there. He also said you’re a dumbass for getting yourself busted up like that, but that’s just Jason for you.” He shrugged and shot Dick a lopsided grin. 

Somewhere along the way, the far off look had returned to Dick’s eyes. Tim sighed softly through his nose. “You should be in bed, Dick. We can do this properly in the morning.”

“Already tried it, I’m afraid,” Dick admitted after a long moment. He scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “It’s fine, you go up. I’ll just finish this off and then I’ll head up in a bit.”

Sure, and Mister Freeze liked warm hugs. Tim shook his head. “Yeah, no chance. C’mon Dick, time for bed.” He leaned over the chair and hit a few keys, shortcutting through commands until the screen went dark, plunging the room into almost darkness. He could have sworn Dick paled as the light faded out, but that was ridiculous. Wrapping a hand around the older hero’s arm, he tried to pull him out of the chair. 

“Tim, it’s fine. I’m fine, honestly.” 

Dick didn’t need to be able to see him to know the expression he was pulling. Tim pulled again on his arm, insistent. There was no way he was letting Dick work himself into the ground on his watch. “You need to sleep Dick,” he persisted. 

The arm went rigid in his grasp as Dick cringed. “I can’t,” he admitted quietly. 

For a moment, Tim just stood there, dumbfounded. The realisation of what Dick was saying sank in like sludge, cold and suffocating. “How bad is it?” he asked gently, letting his grip on Dick’s arm soften. 

“It’s not always this bad. I took tablets when I was younger which helped… But it’s been getting worse for a while now.” In the dim glow of the Batcave, out of uniform, Dick looked so much younger, so unlike himself that it made Tim uneasy. However, as a fellow insomniac, he could understand the change. It was hard to find a balance when your own brain refused to let you rest. 

Tim considered this for a moment, letting Dick turn away and compose himself as he rose from the chair. Being out of action probably wasn’t helping his precarious sleep pattern either, he mused. “Tell you what,” he said at last, “let’s go see if we can find the stash of good cocoa Alfred has hidden away, and take it from there.” The good cocoa had always been a comfort to him, even if it hadn’t actually aided him in finding sleep often. Just knowing that there was someone to talk to and a way to find a scrap of comfort during the long nights had been enough sometimes. 

Seconds ticked by, and Tim worried for a moment that Dick would refuse, would try to reboot the computer. But eventually, he nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me,” he said at last. He nodded towards the stairs. “Lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Full disclosure: I felt quite a bit like Dick in this one while writing it. If it isn't any good, blame that. If it is... maybe I should write all my stories half delirious with sleep.


End file.
